Marsha Lewis Joins Emory's School of Nursing as its first Associate Dean for Education

Marla E. Salmon, ScD, RN, FAAN, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, announced the appointment of Marsha Lewis, PhD, RN as the school's first Associate Dean for Education. In this newly created position, Dr. Lewis will provide leadership for and further develop the school's educational programs. She began her appointment in August 2006.

In this new role, Dr. Lewis will focus on collaborating with administration, faculty, staff, students and the community to fulfill the school's vision of providing the best education for nurses, creating new knowledge and serving the school's constituencies across the globe. "Dr. Lewis joins us at a particularly critical and exciting time as Emory, the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and our school move forward on a rigorous and aggressive upward academic trajectory," says Dean Salmon. "Her work will engage her within and beyond the school, including interdisciplinary collaboration within the university as well as with national and international universities and educational partners."

"I was drawn to the position because it is meant to celebrate and take the educational mission of the school to new heights, and because of the school's commitment to equally valuing both the education and research missions," says Dr. Lewis. "Although I will have a major responsibility for promoting a culture that fosters and nourishes the educational mission, all missions of the school are interdependent. This makes the role particularly exciting for me."

For the past five years Dr. Lewis has served as the Director of Graduate Programs at the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing Twin Cities campus and in 2003 was honored as Best Director of Graduate Studies. She has more than 25 years of experience teaching in undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs at the University of Minnesota.

For the past three years she has served on the Board of Commissioners for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and on their Accreditation Review Committee. Dr. Lewis' current research is in the area of interventions for dementia family caregivers including the development of a prototype for an internet version of the Savvy Caregiver Program.

Dr. Lewis received her doctoral and master's degrees from the University of Minnesota and her bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University is recognized as a leader in the preparation of students for beginning and advanced practice nursing. Graduates of the school's programs are at the forefront in leadership, serving as role models for excellence in nursing practice throughout the world. The School of Nursing is committed to improving care and nursing leadership through its key values of scholarship, leadership and social responsibility. To learn more, visit www.nursing.emory.edu or call 404-727-7980.